Goldwater-Nichols: An Interim Assessment of the CINCS' Authority

Abstract

The Defense Reorganization Act of 1986, commonly referred to as the Goldwater-Nichols Act, is the most significant defense reform effort since World War II. It is another step in a long evolutionary process that has attempted to focus our military efforts on forces that are unified, fight jointly, and have a clear chain of command. The center of this effort in the Act was the authority of the combatant commanders, the CINCs. How did this Act come about? What was the intent? Does the CINC operate with the authority the law intended? And finally, how far has the effort gone to date? This study attempts to provide insight into these questions and evaluate where the military stands with regard to the Act's provisions that were directed at matching the CINC's authority to responsibility.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 18, 1991
Accession Number
ADA236929

Entities

People

  • Michael A. Suozzo

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Combatant Commanders
  • Congress
  • Doctrine
  • Governments
  • Law
  • Marine Corps
  • Military Operations
  • Military Organizations
  • National Security
  • Organizational Structure
  • Second World War
  • Training
  • Unified Combatant Commands
  • United States
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Aerospace logistics and air mobility.
  • Defense Acquisition Program Management
  • Theoretical Analysis.